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Overall Rating:

4 / 5

Poulan P4018WT,

June 7, 2009

By Roadstar

from Baxter, MN

"I purchased this saw in Oct 2006 because I needed a saw for around the home. I liked the design, price and it came with a carrying case . Since I would not be using the saw to cut firewood for resale or home heating, I could not justify spending alot more money for a professional grade saw. This saw has always started fine for me. Prime it 5-6 times, full choke and pull 4-5 times until it fires then shut off the choke and pull 1-2 more times and your off and running.

The first year I only cut 1-3 oak and jackpine that storms damaged. The second year I cut at least 25 oak trees that were damaged by a wave of beetles that were killing trees in our region. These trees were between 8" and 24". The saw performed great without any issues. I kept the chains sharpened and only purchased two new chains during this period.

This spring I continued to take down the 3 remaining trees in my yard that were either damaged by the beetles or were leaning towards my house or garage and this is when I encountered my first problem with the saw. I noticed while cutting the first two trees that the chain tension screw seemed to be working itself loose while cutting. The chain tension appeared fine though. While blocking a 14" tree, the chain came off the bar. I am always careful about checking the chain tension so I suspected something had broken on the clutch. When I removed the clutch cover the sprocket drum, clutch washer and E-clip fell out. The shaft had broken off flush with the clutch. This shaft is part of the crankshaft so an entire teardown would be needed to repair this. I also noticed that the front stud for the clutch cover was pulling out of the plastic case. I believe this was the cause of the ultimate failure. I suspect the alignment of the chain & bar was off enough that it was putting pressure on the shaft that caused the failure. It's possible that I overtighted the nut and the stress started pulling the stud from the case, or it was just a molding defect that finally presented itself.

Since I still had trees of my own and my neighbors to cut that weekend, I opted to just replace the saw. I purchased a Homelite 42cc with an 18" bar. I hope this saw proves to be as reliable and maint free as the Poulan was."

What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman

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Overall Rating:

1 / 5

1 time use,

March 24, 2009

By cutthemdown

from Ga

"saw is ok if you have a little bit of cutting but after the 4th time of filling it up. the saw begin to cut it self off for no reason at all. this could have just been a lemon tho since i know someone that had theirs for years."

What is your level of technical expertise? Professional

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Overall Rating:

4 / 5

Yes, it's wild,

November 18, 2008

By Jimofalltrades

from Steuben County, New York

"My wife gave me this saw for my birthday when my old Partner 5000 died. It starts a little hard and is a little cold blooded but once it warms up, it is quite a nice little saw. It runs pretty strong for it's engine size and the chain oiler seems to work well. On the minus side, I wish it had either .325 or full size 3/8 pitch chain on it. The 3/8 mini guard link chain is OK for a novice but a little slow for an experienced user. AND the colors - GREEN AND PURPLE!?!"

What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman

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Overall Rating:

2 / 5

Not good,

August 21, 2008

By ParkMe1ster

from Colorado

"It's hard to start, like many of the reviews say (believe it). Other than that, it's a little under-powered, but cheap."

What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating:

4 / 5

GOOD MACHINE,

August 19, 2008

By DANNYDAN

from CALIFORNIA

"THE MACHINE IS DEPENDABLE/ RELIABLE. STARTING IS A LITTLE TRICKY, ENGINE IS TIGHT AND PULL-BACKS ALOT (WATCH OUT) I'VE HAD IT A COUPLE YEARS AND USE IT OFTEN AND IT STILL WORKS GREAT"

What is your level of technical expertise? Professional

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating:

5 / 5

Best under $200 I've ever owned!,

August 18, 2008

By Birney

from Northern California

"I am the neighborhood tool guy...if you know what I mean then maybe you will understand my next comment. "This saw continues to hold up even after several less than "Handy" people have borrowed it. This saw has performed EVERY time it's been called on. Storm clean up and small firewood projects, it's been great,but keep an extra spare chain or two on hand because it's not a "pro-commercial" saw, just a GREAT homeowners saw. I bought this saw 3 years ago when I had a tree split during a storm, it was a "quick-pick" at the local home store,turned out to be a good one! I've been using chain saws for almost 40 years, this is the best "economy saw" I've had the pleasure to use yet!"

What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating:

4 / 5

18 in polan,

April 21, 2008

By Richard77

from nevada City CA

"great size for most handy clean up and home firewood"

What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating:

5 / 5

Poulan Chainsaw 40cc 18 inch,

April 21, 2008

By Steve81

from Deville, LA

"I didn't think I would like a Poulan Chainsaw because Mc Culloch was all I ever owned. After I purchased the Poulan I wouldn't have anything different. It has a very easy start and it is not very heavy. I have owned this one for two years. It is also considerably quiet compare to the McCulloch."

What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating:

3 / 5

Occasional Use Homeowner saw,

January 21, 2008

By DSMforever

from Chetopa, KS

"The Poulan Wildthing saw has been pretty good to me over the past 5 years I've owned it, I am not using it to cut firewood, or clear large sections of brush so it suits my needs perfectly. I must say that if you buy this saw do yourself a favor and pick up an Oregon chain and put that one on immediately. Maintenance is key with these saws, the chains for poulan saws are low kickback so you better keep it sharp since there is fewer cutters than a pro chain. So for the occasional storm cleanup or light duty tree pruning it'll work great. If you plan on felling any tree larger than 8" do yourself a favor and drop the cash on a Stihl or Husqvarna."

What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating:

4 / 5

October 29, 2007

By jonjon

from south dakota

"good product used it many times and it proformed well"

What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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